Yesterday, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed Joel Pineiro to a two-year, $16 million deal, eliminating the Mets from contention for the right-handed sinkerballer. It is worth noting that Pineiro is slotted as the Angels' fifth starter; with the Mets, he would have been the third, at least.

That's less money than Pineiro had been expecting going into free agency but more than the two years, $14 million we predicted a week ago. Another possible Mets signing, left-hander Doug Davis, signed with the Brewers yesterday, at a price higher than the Mets were willing to (or should) pay.

So, who's left? Looking over the list of possible free agents, the pickings are gettin' slim. The highest upside pitcher is probably injury-prone Ben Sheets, who impressed the Mets during an open workout earlier this week. Unfortunately, he impressed the two dozen other scouts watching him, too, which means his price is about to rise above the "low-risk, high-reward" zone. Other options include Jon Garland, John Smoltz, Chien-Ming Wang, and ... hey, look, Sidney Ponson is still out there. Oh, and: Tom Glavine hasn't officially retired yet. Big game Mets pitcher, that guy.